The mission of Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut (LVSCT) is to provide services at no cost to any individual who wishes
to learn the English language or enhance their reading, writing,
speaking and math skills necessary to lead productive lives in our
community.

At A Glance

Year of Incorporation1994

Organization's type of tax exempt statusExempt-Other

Organization received a competitive grant from the community foundation in the past five yearsYes

Leadership

CEO/Executive DirectorMrs. Tami Jackson

Board Chair Martin O'Neill

Board Chair Company AffiliationO'Neil Law Firm

Financial Summary

Projected Revenue$95,500.00

Projected Expenses$95,500.00

Statements

Mission

The mission of Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut (LVSCT) is to provide services at no cost to any individual who wishes
to learn the English language or enhance their reading, writing,
speaking and math skills necessary to lead productive lives in our
community.

Background

In 1988, the Junior Woman's Club of Milford provided the financial support to establish the Milford satellite office of the Literacy Volunteers of New Haven. This was done by a committee of women that eventually turned the task over to Frances O'Neill as the first Director. She coordinated the program out of her home until 1992 when the city of Milford provided office space at the Margaret Egan Center. In 1994, they broke away from the Literacy Volunteers of America and became their own non-profit, community based, literacy agency, known as the Literacy Center of Milford which serves the greater Milford, Connecticut area. In 1995, they relocated to a larger space at the Fannie Beach Center.

In 2016, the Literacy Center changed its name to Literacy Volunteers of Southern Connecticut to reflect the growing needs and reach more students. Tami Jackson is currently the director and the Director and Board of Directors guide the Literacy Volunteers of Southern CT.

Impact

Past year accomplishments:

Tutored over 100 students.

Created Workplace literacy program.

Donated books to over 1200 children.

Needs

Part time development assistant to the Executive Director.

Laptop computers.

Funds to create an endowment.

Update tutor and student materials.

CEO Statement

I am very pleased to be the director to LVSCT. I was hired in January 2010 and have enjoyed working with so many tutors and students within the past several months. As a past volunteer, I always admired the courage the adult students had to ask for help. Our Center is very special. We have over 100 volunteers who dedicate their time on a weekly basis to see the center succeed.

I met with a student last week who was an English speaking man, 52 and just gained custody of his daughter. He sat down with me and said, "I can't read her papers from school. I only completed the 9th grade and I want to improve my skills so I can be a better example to my daughter." I was extremely pleased to have the opportunity to help this man with a tutor who will meet weekly with him. He took the first step to come to the Center and with our services, we have changed his life forever...

“Literacy is not a luxury; it is a right and a responsibility. If our world is to meet the challenges of the twenty-first century we must harness the energy and creativity of all our citizens.” President Clinton on International Literacy Day, September 8, 1994

Board Chair StatementLVSCT is comprised of some of the most dedicated and hard working people I know. It is an honor and a pleasure to work alongside them, especially Tami Jackson our Executive Director. Tami and I began our new roles with the Center in January 2010 so it has been and continues to be a shared year of firsts.

Tami brings a wealth of technological knowledge and experience to the Center, as well as a tremendous work ethic and a sense of commitment to the Center. Something I consider one of our greatest successes to date is Tami’s development of a database of information to track students, tutors and volunteers both past and present. An organization must have a history in order to move forward and Tami is documenting ours beautifully. Additionally, Tami has been instrumental in creating or expanding upon many community partnerships. This is vital to the work the Center does and aspires to do. Residents of Milford and surrounding communities will benefit from the groundwork the Center is laying now. We continue to explore potential affiliations.One of the greatest challenges facing the Center at this time is one of staffing. We are realistically and actively reaching out for assistance in providing a much needed part time assistant to the Executive Director. There are simply not enough hours in the day for Tami to do all that needs to be done. When we address this serious gap other challenges we face will be more easily remedied. With a part time assistant on board there will be more time to explore grant opportunities and to bring the Center up to speed technologically. I feel that LVSCT is on a precipice; poised to be catapulted into a new, exciting and more challenging arena than the one we currently occupy. With the experience and steadfast support of our Board of Directors we will enable and empower the Center to fulfill its mission. With the dedication of our loyal staff, tutors and volunteers we will continue to meet and exceed the needs of our students. With the confidence our students place in us we will move forward as a mainstay of Milford and surrounding communities.

As a self professed lifelong learner I considerate it a great privilege to aid the Center in its valuable mission. To be a part of something greater than oneself is a most satisfying experience. Although I primarily sit on the fundraising side of the table I try to stay mindful of our purpose. Knowing that we enrich the lives of so many is both rewarding and humbling. Literacy Volunteers is truly an open door to all who enter.

Service Categories

Primary Organization CategoryEducation / Adult Education

Secondary Organization CategoryEducation / Preschools

Areas Served

Milford

West Haven

Other

We serve residents in our geographic area who need basic literacy, GED or ESOL tutoring. While classes are offered through the Adult Education Department and private institutions, our services are offered to the student's at no cost to the student. This is important because the target population often has long working hours, multiple employers, low economic status and transportation restrictions that need to be considered.

CEO/Executive Director/Board Comments

Board Member Statement

Jane Addams, the founder of Hull House in Chicago, held a view that "...if people - of any age, race, gender, ethnicity - were allowed to develop their skills, that person could not only make a better life for himself but contribute to the community as a whole." (http://www.hullhouse.org/aboutus/history.html) This was in 1889 - she was a woman far ahead of her time. Her story had been told to me by my father, who loved to relate gender-centered stories to his three daughters, and delighted in the educational aspects of them as well. My Dad would become so animated and eloquent when speaking of the accomplishments of those who rose above their poverty, particularly because most of the stories involved education and its merits. This was a very personal message from him, for he had risen above his poverty, gained an education and was successful in life - and he never forgot how many hands helped him up. My volunteerism is my "pay it back" in honor of my father, and a "pay it forward" to create a better future for those with a desire to learn and prosper.

Our Adult program is open to
any adult living in the surrounding Milford area FREE of charge. We
offer one on one ESL (English as a Second Language) tutoring and
group ESL tutoring.We offer flexible scheduling, confidentiality, convenient tutoring sites.

Tutoring focuses on:

English to those who speak other languages

Conversation Groups

Essay Writing

Basic computer skills

One on one tutoring
is scheduled at the convenience of the tutor and student. They may meet
at the Literacy Center or any other location convenient to them.

Conversation groups are held at night for ESL students who would like to communicate better with others in English.

Beginner, intermediate and advanced classes are offered at various times throughout the week.

Essay writings
are for students who want to learn to write English better. They
prepare essays and read them in September to their friends and families
at City Hall, Milford.

These are essays from our beginner class. A few of these students have only been in the US for a few months. They have made great strides in their speaking and writing. Below are a few examples...

My FamilyMy name is Rodnay Marin. I’m the fourth in the family. I have four brothers and one sister. My bothers’ names are Andrel, Boby, Dawhine, and Jorges-Erick. My sister’s name is Islande. My mother is living in Haiti. Her name is Carmelite Marin. She comes sometimes to America. My father’s name is Joseph Honore Saint Louis. He died six years ago.Rodnay MarinHaiti

Tutor: Wendy Terenzio

Coming To AmericaMy family arrived in America on January 25th, 2010. It was a heavy snow day. It took about 13 hours to get to New York from Seoul. We are here for my husband’s business. It is my second time here. Ten years ago, I lived in Chicago for two years. I have two boys that are also with me.Hyija SongSouth KoreaTutor: Wendy Terenzio

I Like To Cook Delicious FoodFirst let me introduce myself. My name is Lily Yao and I come from China. I have only been in the USA for forty days. I have many hobbies such as sports, planting flowers, traveling, listening to music, and cooking delicious food. Every time after my husband tastes the food I make, he gives the “thumbs up” and says, “very good.” I have a feelingof satisfaction because the delicious food always makes people so happy.Lily YaoChina

Tutor: Wendy Terenzio

MY FAMILYMy name is Zofia Lizak. I have four brothers. Their names are Mark, Daniel, Krys, and Roman. My brothers live in Poland. My mother is also living in Poland. Her name is Zofia too. I have three children. Their names are Elizabeth, Kris, and Paul. They live in the USA. I have been living in the USA for seventeen years, but this is the first time I amstudying English.Zofia LizakPolandTutor: Wendy Terenzio

DescriptionLiteracy Volunteers of Southern CT also offers Pre-school story hours at Head
Start, state funded day cares, YMCA and the local homeless shelter. All children who attend the weekly story hours receive a new book twice
a year.

This program was initiated in early 1991. The number of
sites we send readers to has increased over the years from two to nine. It has
been well documented that children who are read to from an early age are more
likely to become readers on their own.

The children receive a new, age appropriate book two times a
year. We operate this program on the school calendar and the books are
distributed in June and December. We do not give out Christmas books in December but rather, stories with a
winter theme. There are many children from different cultures in these classes
and not everyone celebrates our holiday.

DescriptionEvery new mother leaving Milford Hospital receives
a Book for Babies kit which includes the baby's first book. Upon that
child's first birthday they receive an appropriate book for a toddler.

The program is funded primarily by the Rotary Club of
Milford. We also receive a donation from Milford Hospital each year to be used
for this program or the BOOKS FOR TODDLERS. The Literacy Center
picks up any financial needs that are left unfunded. Volunteers at the hospital
deliver the kits to each new mother’s room before discharge. The patient
advocate has been trained on what to say and to answer any questions. The kits are assembled at the Center
and consist of : a board book, a
handbook for parents on raising a reader, helpful tip sheets on the
developmental stages of a child,
our brochure and a letter to the parents from the Center. Milford Hospital and
the Literacy Center were the first ones to introduce the service in the greater
New Haven area. We also have been instrumental in helping to set up a program
in Phoenix, Arizona. They modeled their program after ours.

Sometime after, Books for Toddlers became an extension of
the above program. Each child that
received the first book is sent another for their first birthday. We furnish
the book and mailing envelopes. Volunteers prepare them for mailing,at the
hospital, and the Milford Hospital Auxiliary pays the postage. We receive pictures of the babies and
thank you notes from the parents. We have a poster made and will continue to display it whenever
possible. Each year the Center is
invited to exhibit at Milford Hospital’s Baby Fair and it is there that we meet
many of the recipients of our program. It is very popular and one of the best
things we could be promoting, reading to children.

DescriptionBooks for Birthdays celebrates the joy of reading by presenting a new or
gently used book to a needy youth each year on his or her birthday.

A
birthday is a very important day for children. Yet for many of our
youth, the day comes and goes without any acknowledgement or presents.
While there are many wonderful donations made so kids have gifts around
the winter holidays, there is, sadly, little recognition of the day
that recognizes the value and worth of each individual - the birthday.

LVSCT has partnered with Boys and Girls Club of
Milford, Boys and Girls Village and Milford Resource Center to launch this program. Following the Center's
successful Books for Babies and Books for Toddlers programs, Books for
Birthdays is the next logical step. With all of these programs, the
importance of reading is highlighted as a fundamental necessity of
personal development and future achievement. By making books available
in the home, needy youth are given access to a significant societal
equalizer - literacy.

LVSCT asks
residents to drop off new or gently used childrens' books at the
Literacy Center at 16 Dixon St (Fannie Beach School) in Milford, CT.
Financial donations and wrapping paper are also appreciated, as are
donations of time.

DescriptionLVSCT offers GED and basic
literacy tutoring to adults. One on one tutoring is available. We can
help students with reading, writing, math and GED preparation. Call the
Center if you are in need of assistance.

Our First Time in U.S.A.

And Our First Time We Saw Snow

When we passed U.S.A. Immigration check point in Miami International Airport, the Immigration officer, after he interviewed us and checked our Immigration papers said “welcome To United States of North America, we are opening our arms to you, please do good things in here”. “He asked where you going to live”? We said in Connecticut. Hesaid is December and I believe Connecticut will get snow tomorrow. Then he asked; have you see snow before? We answer no, never before. He then said it will be a wonderful experience for you. Then we got back our Immigration folders and he said to us have a nice trip.

Was a beautiful day when we took the air plane from Miami International Airport to La Guardia International Airport in New York. About 18 years have passed already but we still remember it like it was yesterday our trip to the Land of Liberty, the Land of Freedom U.S.A.

It was a beautiful sunset when the airplane approached the city that never sleeps, the Big Apple, New York, New York. For us, it was like a dream to see the lights of the biggest city in the world going on, until the airplane we were on waiting for its turn to land. For the fist time, we sew the majesty of the twin tower, the Statue of Liberty, the EmpireState Building and the all beautiful city around us. It was like a gift from the heaven to me, to my wife and our three children. At this time our children where teenagers. Today they are all professionals.

Our next day was in Stamford Connecticut. I remember that we where so tired from the trip, but early in the morning my older sister woke us up when she said: “wake up every body its snowing” my family and I jumped up from the bed and run to the window to see for the first time in ours life, the beautiful snowflakes coming down from the clouds. Mysister said lets go for a ride around the city. We all got inside the car for a ride around the city. After a while, we stopped at Cove Beach where the snow was falling heavily.

In conclusion: We are thankful to this Country for open it’s arms to us. From the Immigration officer in Miami International Airport whom will never forget, specially to our God who created the heaven and the earth and who created us to his image because of all we have and all we have received in our life through our faith in Hem.

Also, my wife Miriam and I want to thank the Literacy Center for this opportunity to bring this true history to you, our special thanks to Joy Stonier, Joe Lefebvre, John O’Neil, and John Scalici who show us interest for our English skills.

All of the tutoring programs are free of charge; we have over 60 volunteer tutors who work diligently with our students. In addition, we have 10 volunteer office workers and 50+ volunteer fund raising contributors in addition to our volunteer Board of Directors. 70% of our administrative costs are directly related to the ESOL, GED, and Basic Literacy tutoring programs. The 30% balance of administrative costs are applicable to our Books for Babies & Toddlers, Pre-school reading programs.

We are also applying for a block grant. This will balance the budget of the $2,000 difference..

Foundation Staff Comments

This profile, including the financial summaries prepared and submitted by the organization based on its own independent and/or internal audit processes and regulatory submissions, has been read by the Foundation. Financial information is inputted by Foundation staff directly from the organization’s IRS Form 990, audited financial statements or other financial documents approved by the nonprofit’s board. The Foundation has not audited the organization’s financial statements or tax filings, and makes no representations or warranties thereon. The Community Foundation is continuing to receive information submitted by the organization and may periodically update the organization’s profile to reflect the most current financial and other information available. The organization has completed the fields required by The Community Foundation and updated their profile in the last year. To see if the organization has received a competitive grant from The Community Foundation in the last five years, please go to the General Information Tab of the profile.

Related Information

A strong economy begins with a community that supports its people. When you support workforce training, financial literacy and public transportation, you enable individuals and families to work where they live, increasing their chances of economic success.

Educate a child and you change a community. For the child, a good education means better career opportunities and higher lifetime earnings. College graduates enjoy better health and are more inclined to volunteer and vote. For the community, supporting our youths’ educational goals results in a stronger society.